An afternoon nap
by chquine-harvinellisse
Summary: When children's naps turn deadly.


**Okay this particular Pandora Hearts fanfic isn't really related to the overall story line...**

**It's a scene I took from a forum I'm managing... =D**

**Lotti is the only known character here; the others that are unknown, (Claude, Cyrus, Tillie and their guardian) are OCs.**

**Claude and Cyrus belong to my RP-mate that I don't really get in touch with anymore... But she's Samurai don't need angels.**

**On the other hand, Tillie is mine along with the guardian.**

**I control Lotti here too... So Lotti's actions attribute to my sadism... HAHAHA! =D**

**So a brief intro:**

**The Nix household is like a dukedom, only more minor; Claude is the heiress but she's ill and got killed by a Baskerville... It'll take long if I elaborate any further so I'll stop at that...**

**Tillie is a 10 year-old spy of the Nix household. Cyrus is a thief that got caught... =D**

**So yeah... I hope you enjoy this fic! =D**

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_At mourning's throes, the house was shook_

_When life was scarce and barely there_

_Her life was gone, a lady fair_

_Like a rose wronged; a fish by hook_

_The breath of life, the Vile Ones took_

Not a day more than Claude's, the Nix heiress's death, the house is again chosen as a nest of misfortune. Her death was quick and painless: her neck was twisted, very quickly. Her mismatched eyes, one of emerald and one of sapphire, mirrored fear and uncertainty. Unfortunately she did not live long enough to voice out what she had felt then. She was dying of an inherited illness after all, so the one who killed her had done her a favor in a way. Yet the people she befriended (which was surprising for the arrogant brat), thought otherwise.

Among the people she left were her mother, her cousin, three of her employees and her potential heiress. Her mother was sad, yet the thought of her child being freed from such a life gave her some reassurance. Her cousin, she never liked yet she knew she could rely on him should she pass away. Among the three of her employees, one of them is a ten-year old girl who works as a spy for their family, the other is another ten-year old that tried to steal something from the family, and the last one is a Contractor that threatened her life in the past. Her potential heiress is the original target of the one who killed her and has been blaming herself for the unfortunate event.

_For there another girl, asleep_

_Has killed more men than one would know_

_Her mind is blank; her eyes don't show_

_What joy and pain her heart does keep_

_The Vile Ones come with glee in step_

_Their eyes on one who ran from home_

_Unruly children must be shown_

_Punishment in her bones have crept_

The two ten year olds, Cyrus and Tillie, know that their lives are not the kind of lives that children should be living. What ten year-old steals for a living? What ten year-old kills, lies and spies? Tillie is a Nix family spy for as long as she can remember. Cyrus is a reckless kid who's been caught red-handed for stealing.

Earlier that afternoon, Cyrus expressed his want to learn how to fight. He'd been useless at the eve of Claude's death and Tillie suffered a kick to the side because he couldn't help. Balance was essential to him, he learned and so he has to focus all of his attention to that for now.

Even though they're living such dangerous lives, they're still kids that need their afternoon nap. So there they are, lying side by side in a vacant room at the first floor of the Nix manor. The boy is boisterous, even in his sleep; the girl is still quiet, in contrast to him.

_And then the Vile One comes about_

_To bring an end to those she sees_

_From the unruly one, she flees_

_Her fun lies in this room, no doubt_

Tillie stirs and senses the presence that has just made itself known by the door. The presence is hostile and she can feel her spine tingle with familiarity.

It's the same presence, yet stronger, of the one who killed her Mistress.

And it, or he, or she, has come here for more blood to shed.

Moving quickly, she gets up and pulls the sheets along with Cyrus (whose legs are twisted in them), to the floor. She pushes him under the bed with barely any finesse or regard that the one she's stashing under the bed is asleep. Someone with the intent to kill is at the other side of the door; why think of anything more?

Tillie can only hope that Cyrus won't get out from under the bed. He doesn't stand a chance against the Baskervilles. The boy could barely avoid an attack without stumbling.

She stands in front of the bed, facing the door. Her abilities might not be enough to stop a Baskerville, but all she needs to do is keep Cyrus from being killed.

And that was what Tillie, a heartless spy, thinks.

"I really am useless."

Cyrus stared at Tillie incredulously. Even though she'd blatantly offered her shoulder for him to punch in an attempt to make him feel better, she's still a far cry from being useless. Though he had to admit, his pride as a gentleman had been hurt.

"You're not useless," he insisted. "You just need practice."

Sometimes, Tillie's ignorance of what is normal prompts Cyrus to laugh. But for once, he stopped being egocentric and just tried to be empathic. He closed the distance between him and Tillie and wrapped his arms around her smaller frame. Had she been eating? She is actually smaller and a bit thinner than she seems.

"You just do it like this…" he said.

Tillie stopped for a moment before she follows his example. "Put your arms around someone… like this?"

He nodded and pulls away. He stepped back to gain a respectable distance from her. His father had been quite strict on that. "Yeah but you do it for only like, five seconds though. Otherwise it means something else. At least that's what my father said."

Cyrus stirs and cracks his eyes open. He stretches his limbs sideward and feels satisfied when he hears a subtle pop. He peers out from under the bed and sees the end of Tillie's white dress and her feet planted firmly on the ground. Despite his lack of experience in fighting, he knows that the girl is preparing for one.

He keeps quiet. He's just going to be a nuisance if he tries to help. Even if he has the will to help, skill is also very necessary. Without skill, you're dead.

The door is kicked out of its frame and Tillie is fast enough to react. She charges at the pink-haired; red-eyed female Baskerville with a crazed expression on her face. Tillie jumps and reveals the blades hidden in the soles of her shoes. A flip and she digs the daggers onto the woman's shoulders, pushing the pink-haired woman against the wall to pierce deeper.

Bending on her back, Tillie grabs the lapel of the Baskerville's cloak and pulls away from her. She lands on her feet, back against the Baskerville and stares at her daggers stained with blood. Other than her chained sickle, Tillie also hides a pair of daggers in her soles. It makes it a bit difficult for her to walk at first but then she got used to it.

Cyrus keeps watch from under the bed. He debates on whether he should get out or stay hidden. The foe seems strong but he knows that his friend is also strong. He is too caught up in his pondering when the pink-haired woman emerges from behind Tillie and grabs her left wrist.

The pink-haired female Baskerville is known as Lotti. She's one of the most loyal followers of Glen. She, like other Baskervilles cannot be affected by wounds like the one that Tillie inflicted her with a while ago. The power of the Abyss that flows within them gives them superior regeneration. The little girl's speed and agility amuses her. She would be a force to be reckoned with, no doubt.

Lotti twists Tillie's wrist behind her. "Naughty girl," she sneers. "That hurt. I may be a Baskerville, but I can still feel pain." She twists the little girl's wrist further. "Like this…"

Tillie draws blood from biting her lips too hard as Lotti twists her arm more. There's a snap and a sharp exhale from the little girl's mouth. So far, all of the people she's killed didn't have a chance to fight back; so she's never had to deal with pain. Tillie's sickle remains immobile in her right hand and she grips on it like a lifeline.

_The Vile One found, her source of fun_

_With unshed tears green eyes did shine_

_That's when his rage came and begun_

_"I'll now protect this friend of mine."_

With wide eyes, Cyrus absorbs what happens.

"No!"

He scrambles out of the bed and starts pushing Lotti. He hits her with all his might which doesn't seem to be much because Lotti doesn't even flinch. Rather, she seems… amused with his actions.

He doesn't care and continues on hitting the Baskerville with all the strength he could muster. "Let go of her! You're the one who did something wrong!"

Lotti smirks. Little children are always fun to play with.

Cyrus wished he's stronger or at least strong enough to let the Baskerville let go of Tillie.

Tillie is his friend, even though she's weird and really uncanny to talk to at times. And friends always helped each other, even if one of them is useless.

"Why did you come out...?" Tillie rasps, her voice laden with pain and surprise. She hoped that Cyrus would be sensible enough to stay hidden, but apparently, he won't stay put while she gets injured.

The pink-haired Baskerville decides to take her sweet time with the red-haired little girl. She summons her Chain, Leon, a black lion with a diadem on his head, a fitting depiction of the king of beasts. Leon pounces on the boy and pins him to the floor. His claws pin Cyrus's to the carpeted floor to keep him from moving. It knows that Lotti wants the boy to watch as his friend slowly gets beaten and eventually, killed.

"I'll play with you later," Lotti says as she lets go of Tillie's broken arm only to grab a fistful of her hair, right at the roots. "Right now, I need to deal with this naughty girl…" she adds darkly as she sends her knee to Tillie's stomach. The process is repeated and soon Tillie is coughing out blood.

As soon as Cyrus realizes what's happening, he yells, "Stop it!" Leon growls at him, exposing its long and deadly teeth. He wriggles underneath Leon; when his dress shirt rips at the shoulder enough for him to free himself. He flings himself at Lotti and yells at her to stop.

He calls for help. He tries to pry Lotti's hands from Tillie's neck, ignoring the lion that's biting at the end of his pants. He calls for help and when he hears no response, he knows that they're on their own. At this point, he doesn't care if Leon tried to eat him or at least injure him with its large paws.

_"It's a gentleman's duty to help his friend…"_

Cyrus holds onto those words. He might not be living like a gentleman, but he still is. Tillie is his friend; his best friend at that. Despite being too young to completely understand the concept of best friends, he considers Tillie as his. And Lotti was hurting his best friend.

It just simply wouldn't do for him.

"You're a monster!" He screams at Lotti.

Lotti gets distracted for a while and Tillie takes the chance to swing her feet; dig her dagger into Lotti's jaw. To immobilize a Chain, one has to either harm the Chain itself or the Contractor; because Tillie incapacitated Lotti with the previous attack, Leon disappears and Cyrus has more room for movement.

Even though her torso is hurting and she's finding it hard to breathe, Tillie grabs her sickle and slits Lotti's throat with it. Her white dress, the one she used at her Mistress' funeral, is stained with red. No matter how fast Lotti regenerates, she'd have to take a while to recover from such a fatal injury right? Tillie hopes so.

She turns to Cyrus and commands sternly despite herself, "Run!"

But Cyrus is obstinate. He won't leave Tillie alone. He grabs her right arm, the unharmed one. "No! You have to come with me!" He insists. If he leaves Tillie to fight the pink witch with a broken arm she might not be able to leave.

He won't leave his best friend, wounded or not.

It's the first time she's met someone so recklessly stubborn, even for a ten year-old. Tillie pushes Cyrus to the window and says, "I'll just slow you down. I can keep her here just until you can get out safely. You need to finish your training so you can't die yet…"

Cyrus is about to voice out an argument when Lotti towers behind Tillie and says, "She's right boy…"

Their fears come to life once more. Like the dark creeping in their minds while they sleep. But now they fear for their lives. Fears that little kids like them should not be concerned with.

Things start moving in slow motion when Lotti pushes Cyrus aside and grabs the helpless Tillie by the throat. Lotti lifts her into the air and says in a manic voice, "She's right boy… You're not yet worth killing…" Her tongue darts out to lick off the blood on her lips.

_For all he's tried to be and do_

_The Vile One stands still and unhurt_

_His friend she chokes and breathes hard too_

_Her death he tries to stop; avert_

His situation seems so desperate.

He can't fight well.

Their opponent recovers from even the most fatal of wounds.

And his best friend is at the Baskerville's mercy.

He just wants to retreat to his mother's arms, like the child that he is and cry. He just wants to cry and be weak.

But he can't afford to do that right now.

Cyrus kicks the back of Lotti's knee and this time, she pays him no heed. She wants to finish the little girl first before she destroys the annoying boy. He screams for Lotti to let Tillie go, once, twice; thrice.

Seeing that his cries are in vain, Cyrus looks around madly. He spots a lamp and picks it up. Whether or not she's be fazed by it or not, he doesn't care. He just wants to grab Tillie's hand and lead her out of there. He just wants to get out of there as soon as possible.

"I SAID PUT HER DOWN!"

He swings the lamp and hits Lotti at the back with it. Lotti lurches forward and her grip on Tillie's neck slightly weakens. The lamp shatters, but Cyrus can still use the jagged edges to deal damage to the pink-haired Baskerville. He doesn't know how long he can last but he'll will himself to. He can't be a weak kid now.

Lotti then drops Tillie with a thud; the latter lands on her side, wincing. Cyrus looks up and sees two blades protruding from Lotti's chest. The blades are familiar and he's filled with a sense of security.

"Both of you get out of here! NOW!"

_With hope he stands and goes to her_

_The help that's come will prove enough_

_With that his help, does he offer_

_He'll soon be back, more strong and tough_

The presence of their guardian assures him but the tone scares him. Still, Cyrus grabs Tillie and starts to gently drag her out of the room. He feels like a kid rewarded with a nightlight in the dark of the night. He is scared of the woman who's been strangling his best friend but the presence of their guardian, Altier, makes him feel better—safer.

Thankfully, Lotti does little to pursue the kids as they head out of the room. Cyrus wants to run away, but then he remembers that Tillie is leaning onto him for support. Tillie notices how Cyrus's eyes are wavering and hesitating and she pokes his cheek with her good arm.

"Don't cry…"

_Her words are soft, helpless and coarse_

_Her pain and hurt he wants to stop_

_His tears he stops till voice is hoarse_

_But still her hand he'll never drop_

Cyrus protests, "I'm not crying!"

How could Tillie be wounded and extremely keen at the same time? Maybe it's one of the things that she's learned as a spy.

He hesitates again, wondering where he should bring Tillie. He swallows and decides to bring her to the kitchen, with the only thing he's good at in his mind. "Do you want a sandwich?"

He knows she's in pain and he wants to do whatever he can to alleviate it. Banana wedged in between two loaf slices and smothered with honey is good for that. Tillie likes it after all.

She nods and says, "That would be nice. My mouth tastes like metal and I don't like it…"

Cyrus knows Tillie tastes blood and grins as they get to the kitchen. "I'll make you a nice, big honey banana sandwich."

Tillie nods eagerly as she sits down. "I'm sorry…" she stops and coughs out blood before adding weakly, "Thank you…"

Cyrus smiles to lighten the mood and makes the sandwich. He's quite forgotten the scary Baskerville that was just trying to kill Tillie a while ago. For now, the house seems a safe place again. He's going to have to be stronger quickly.

But for now, the kitchen, Tillie, him and the honey and banana sandwich will do just fine.

_When tomorrow comes promises unfold_

_His strength revealed; her joys will then be told_

_For now he'll be right by her as they go_

_The Vile One gone and they, safe in their home_

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**So how was it? =D**

**Please do not hesitate to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts regarding the fic as it is greatly appreciated... =D**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


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